Biodiesel is
clean burning alternative fuel, produced from, renewable resources. Biodiesel
contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel
to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression ignition (diesel)
engines with no major modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable,
nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Biodiesel has a high
energy content, approximately 120,000 BTUs per gallon.

Biodiesel can
be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum in any percentage. A blend
of 5% Biodiesel and 95% by volume of petroleum diesel is called B5 has shown
improvements in performance, enhanced lubricity and some reduction in emissions.
A blend of 20 percent by volume Biodiesel with 80 percent by volume petroleum
diesel called B20, has demonstrated significant environmental benefits with
a minimum increase in cost.

Biodiesel is
registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and meets clean diesel standards established by the California Air Resources
Board (CARB). Pure B100 Biodiesel has been designated as an alternative fuel
by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Transportation
(DOT).

EPAct is the
Energy Policy Act of 1992 that focuses on reducing motor fuel consumption
and mandates alternative fuel use. EPAct's primary emphasis is to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil through the promotion of domestic, alternative transportation
fuels. Provisions of EPAct mandate alternative fuel vehicle purchases for
federal, state and fuel provider fleets, with the potential of mandates for
municipal and private fleets. Alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) have the ability
to run on biodiesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG),
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), propane, methanol, ethanol or electric. The
federal government, through EPAct, has established mandates for AFV purchases
by federal and state agencies beginning in 1993 and 1997 respectively. EPAct
also gives the Department of Energy (DOE) the authority to establish mandates
for municipalities and private fleets located in large metropolitan areas.
In addition, fuel providers are currently required to have AFVs as an increasing
percentage of their fleet purchases..

Listed below
are the required annual percentages of new vehicle purchases that must be
alternative fueled vehicles as defined by the EPAct.

Fine particulate
emissions have been identified as a major health risk, the smaller the particle,
the greater the risk. Motor vehicles powered by diesel engines are a significantly
disproportionate contributor of fine particle pollution and oxides of nitrogen
in urban areas.

Biodiesel is
the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing
requirements of the Clean Air Act. The use of Biodiesel in a conventional
diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon
monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In
addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components
of acid rain) from Biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel.

Of the major
exhaust pollutants, both unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides are ozone
or smog forming precursors. The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel
engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide,
and particulate matter. Emissions of nitrogen oxides are either slightly reduced
or slightly increased depending on the duty cycle of the engine and testing
methods employed.

Particulate
emissions from conventional diesel engines are generally divided into three
components and are in varying degree responsible for the black cloud emanating
from a diesel powered vehicles exhaust tail pipe. The first component, and
the one most closely related to the visible smoke often associated with diesel
exhaust, is the carbonaceous material. This material is composed of sub-micron
sized carbon particles which are formed during the diesel combustion process.
It is especially prevalent under conditions when the fuel-air ratio is overly
rich, such as full acceleration, maximum power or on start up.

The second component
is hydrocarbon material which is absorbed on the carbon particles, commonly
referred to as the soluble fraction. A portion of this material results from
incomplete combustion of the fuel and the remainder is derived from engine
lube oil that passes by the piston oil rings. The third particulate component
is comprised of sulfates and bound water, with the amount of material being
directly related to the fuel's sulfur content. The US has comparably high sulfur content in most of
its petrochemical diesel fuels, so diesel engine use in America is more
affected by this problem than most other countries.

The use of biodiesel
decreases the solid carbon fraction of particulate matter as the increased
amount of oxygen present in biodiesel enables a more complete combustion process.
Biodiesel eliminates the sulfate fraction problem associated with petroleum
based diesel as there is no sulfur in biodiesel, sulphur dioxide is the major
component of acid rain. In addition to reducing the overall levels of pollutants
and carbon, the compounds that are prevalent in biodiesel and petroleum based
diesel fuel exhaust are different. Research conducted by Southwest Research
Institute on a Cummins N14 engine indicates that the biodiesel exhaust has
a less harmful impact on human health than petroleum diesel. Biodiesel emissions
have decreased the levels of all largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH) and nitrated PAH compounds were reduced by 75-85%.

This is completely untrue if you use the right additive in
the fuel. Distribution Drive adds a fuel catalyst to our biodiesel that can
see reductions of NOx emissions of up 30% when compared to regular petro based
diesel fuel. Click the link to read about the City of Dallas's success
meeting NOx reduction goals.

NOx is one of
the precursors to the formation of photochemical smog and ground level ozone
that affects our cities. The EPA is especially keen on NOx emissions as it is seen as one of the
contributors to Ozone pollution seen in many of our large cities. Based
on engine testing, using the most stringent emissions testing protocols required
by EPA for certification of fuels or fuel additives in the US, the overall
ozone forming potential of the speciated hydrocarbon emissions from Biodiesel
was nearly 50 percent less than that measured for diesel fuel.

It is however entirely true, that using biodiesel without
an additive or NOx reduction techniques does tend to increase oxides of nitrogen
commonly know as NOx emissions. Controlling NOx on a Biodiesel powered
car isn't impossible without the use of additives either. In a Diesel engine
you are always making a compromise between making soot and NOx. Raise cylinder
temps to reduce soot and you increase NOx, and vice-versa. Biodiesel powered
engines produce a little bit higher NOx output but are very low in soot production.
Simply reduce cylinder temps a little, by such methods as retarding pump timing,
lowering turbo boost and water injection will reduce NOx emissions. These
measures will increase soot, but this is hardly noticeable as Biodiesel makes
so little smoke in comparison to petro-Diesel.

There is a considerable weight of argument that says that
particulate matter is much more responsible for Ozone problems than NOx, but
it is still a matter of considerable debate. The optimum blend of Biodiesel
and petroleum based diesel fuel, juggling the trade-off of PM decrease and
NOx increase, is a mix of 20/80 Biodiesel to petroleum diesel.

Another approach often used to mitigate the NOx increase associated
with the use of Biodiesel is to change the ignition timing of an engine. Retarding
the timing of an engine tends to reduce NOx emissions at the expense of increasing
Particulate Mater. Retarding the ignition timing lengthens the ignition delay
time, which reduces the peak pressure and temperature that enhance the formation
of NOx emissions. An Austrian study shows that, in buses using Biodiesel,
NOx emissions were reduced by 23% relative to petroleum diesel simply by advancing
injection timing.

Speed of sound and bulk modulus of Biodiesel appear to cause
ignition timing to advance by an average of one degree with the use of this
fuel. This tendency contributes to some, but not all of the increase in NOx
emissions commonly seen in Biodiesel engine stand emission tests. This information
could also be used to support efforts to retard engine timing, although research
on timing retardation with Biodiesel and Biodiesel blends show other emissions
increasing when this occurs.

There is an
an effect called the "weekend effect" that sees increases in ground
level ozone and might be due to the fact that there is less NOx in the air.
The weekend ozone effect would suggest lowering NOx emissions may make ground
level ozone worse.

GoodThe AQI value for your community is between 0 and
50. Air quality is considered satisfactory and air pollution poses
little or no risk.

ModerateThe AQI is between 51 and 100. Air quality is acceptable;
however, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience
respiratory symptoms and should consider limiting prolonged outdoor
exertion.

Unhealthy (for sensitive groups)When AQI values are between 101 and 150, members
of sensitive groups may experience negative health effects. For example,
children and adults who are active outdoors and people with respiratory
disease are at greater risk from exposure to ozone. The general public
is not likely to be affected when the AQI is in this range.

UnhealthyAQI values are between 151 and 200. Everyone may
begin to experience negative health effects. Active children and adults,
and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, should limit
prolonged outdoor exertion.

Very UnhealthyAQI values between 201 and 300 trigger a health alert,
meaning everyone may experience more serious health effects. Active
children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as
asthma, should avoid all outdoor exertion; everyone else, should limit
outdoor exertion.

HazardousAQI values over 300 trigger health warnings of emergency
conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected. Everyone
should avoid all outdoor exertion.

The question
of whether global warming is a result of increased CO² in the atmosphere or
due to some other combinations of factors remains undetermined at this time.
Please note that the CO² or Green House Gas effect on global warming still
remains a theory. Although there must be an effect on our climate from our
atmosphere seeing up to 30% higher CO² concentrations in some areas than has
been seen in our history, the direct correlation between increased CO² in
our atmosphere and the increase in the worlds temperature still has to be
proven.

What we do know
for a fact is that a 1998 Biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by
the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture, concluded
Biodiesel reduces net CO² emissions by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel.
This is due to biodiesel’s closed carbon cycle. The CO² released into the
atmosphere when biodiesel is burned is recycled by growing plants, which are
later processed into fuel.

Scientific research
confirms that Biodiesel exhaust has a less harmful impact on human health
than petroleum diesel fuel. Biodiesel emissions have decreased levels of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrited PAH compounds that have been identified
as potential cancer causing compounds. Test results indicate PAH compounds
were reduced by 75 to 85 percent, with the exception of benzo(a)anthracene,
which was reduced by roughly 50 percent. Targeted nPAH compounds were also
reduced dramatically with Biodiesel fuel, with 2-nitrofluorene and 1-nitropyrene
reduced by 90 percent, and the rest of the nPAH compounds reduced to only
trace levels.

100% biodiesel
and blends of biodiesel with petroleum diesel are safer to store, handle and
use than conventional diesel fuel with 100% biodiesel having a flash point
of 150°C (300°F), well above the flash point of petroleum based diesel fuel
of ± 70°C (150°F). The flash point of a biodiesel fuel blend increases as
the percentage of biodiesel in the blend increases.

In general,
the standard storage and handling procedures used for petroleum diesel can
be used for Biodiesel. The fuel should be stored in a clean, dry, dark environment.
Acceptable storage tank materials include aluminum, steel, fluorinated polyethylene,
fluorinated polypropylene and teflon. Copper, brass, lead, tin, and zinc should
be avoided.

Biodiesel does
suffer from a problem called oxidation if stored for periods longer than 6
months. This means that the fuel will slowly oxidize over time unless an anti-oxidant
additive is blended to the fuel to prevent this process happening.

Biodiesel can
be used in any diesel engine, usually with no modifications to the engine
necessary. It performs comparably to diesel, with similar BTU content and
higher cetane. It offers excellent lubricity and lower emissions compared
to petroleum diesel. D 6751 covers the incorporation of pure Biodiesel (B100)
into conventional diesel fuel up to 20 percent by volume (B20). Higher blend
levels may be acceptable, depending on the experience of the engine company.

Biodiesel has
a solvent effect that may release deposits accumulated on tank walls or pipes
from previous diesel fuel storage and precautions should be taken when first
switching over to Biodiesel. The release of deposits may clog filters initially
and precautions should be taken to prevent these deposits from getting to
the engine fuel filters. A disposable, clear, plastic inline filter with two fine mesh
stainless gauzes sandwiched in the housing, makes a great pre-filter and fitting
them to your vehicles is a good precaution to take against unwanted residue
washing out of your existing tanks or pipes. These filters are clear you so
you can see the sediment build up on the inlet side and it is easy to tell
when you need to change them. They retail for around $ 2.00 and are made by
a company called Plastisonics, Inc. 6614
W. Diversey Ave.ChicagoIL60635
Tel: (773) 622-7807 Fax: (773) 622-5255 or Toll free at (800) 650-7764.

Biodiesel can
have some Methanol left in it from the production process that uses MethalOxide
during the transesterification process. Methanol will destroy rubber tubing
and seals over time, so older engines without synthetic seals made from products
like Viton, will need to have rubber parts in the fuel system replaced.

More than 300
major fleets currently use B20, including the U.S. Postal Service, the City
of Philadelphia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), several public
transit systems, national parks, school districts, private recycling and concrete
companies and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA).
To read more about other case studies, click this link.

Biodiesel is
registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a fuel and fuel
additive. It is the only alternative fuel to have completed the rigorous Health
Effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. Results show Biodiesel
reduces carcinogenic air toxics by 75-90% compared to diesel. Pure Biodiesel
(B100) is also nontoxic, biodegradable and essentially free of sulfur. Emissions
it reduces include particulate matter, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide
and sulfates. B100, or pure Biodiesel, also reduces life cycle carbon dioxide
by 78% compared to petroleum diesel according to a joint U.S. Department of
Agriculture/Department of Energy study.

The American
Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) Biodiesel Task Force began working
on a standard for Biodiesel in 1994 and issued Specification D 6751 in 2002
covering all Biodiesel fuel bought and sold in the United States. The ASTM Biodiesel
Standard helps to protect consumers from poor products and reduce the cost
of buying and selling Biodiesel. The ASTM is titled the “Standard Specification for Biodiesel Fuel (B100) Blend Stock
for Distillate Fuels” and the full details are available by clicking
the link above.

Horsepower –
as defined by James Watt the British inventor and engineer) (1736 to 1819)
who originally coined the term horsepower. He is most famous for his work
on improving the performance of steam engines.

The story goes
that Watt was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine, and he wanted
a way to describe the power available from one of these animals. He found
that, on average, a mine pony could do 22,000 foot-pounds of work in a minute.
He then increased that number by 50 percent and pegged the measurement of
horsepower at 33,000 foot-pounds of work in one minute. It is that arbitrary
unit of measure that has become the de facto standard and now appears on your
car, your lawn mower, your chain saw, and even in some cases your vacuum cleaner!

What horsepower
means is this: In Watt's judgment, one horse can do 33,000 foot-pounds of
work every minute. So, imagine a horse raising coal out of a coal mine as
shown above. A horse exerting 1 horsepower can raise 330 pounds of coal 100
feet in a minute, or 33 pounds of coal 1,000 feet in one minute, or 1,000
pounds 33 feet in one minute, and so on. You can make up whatever combination
of feet and pounds you like. As long as the product is 33,000 foot-pounds
in one minute, you have a horsepower.

You can probably
imagine that you would not want to load 33,000 pounds of coal in the bucket
and ask the horse to move it 1 foot in a minute because the horse couldn't
budge that big a load. You can probably also imagine that you would not want
to put 1 pound of coal in the bucket and ask the horse to run 33,000 feet
in one minute, since that translates into about 375 miles per hour and horses
can't run that fast.

Horsepower can
be converted into other units as well. For example:

1 horsepower is equivalent to 746 watts. So if
you took a 1-horsepower horse and put it on a treadmill, it could operate
a generator producing a continuous 746 watts.

1 horsepower over the course of an hour is equivalent
to 2,545 BTU (British thermal units). If you took that 746 watts and ran
it through an electric heater for an hour, it would produce 2,545 BTU (where
a BTU is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 pound
of water 1 degree F).

One BTU is equal to 1,055 joules, or 252 gram-calories
or 0.252 food Calories. Presumably, a horse producing 1 horsepower would
burn 641 Calories in one hour if it were 100-percent efficient.

The National
Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) defines what Premium Diesel is and
Lubricity is now a characteristic that is considered in determining whether
a fuel can be classified as a premium diesel fuel or not. Independent tests
show just one percent biodiesel can increase the lubricity of petroleum diesel
by up to 65 percent. This is an extremely important development for the biodiesel
industry since it makes it official that biodiesel's positive lubricity benefits
are truly a premium attribute that both engine companies and users find valuable.
Lubricity will become even more valuable when 15 ppm sulfur maximum diesel
fuel hits the market some time in 2007 as sulfur is the main provider of Lubricity
in current diesel fuel blends.

Diesel fuel
is derived from light virgin gas oil that is produced from the distillation
of crude oil. Low Sulfur Diesel is produced in the refineries with a hydro-desulfurization
unit and has a sulfur content of 350 ppm. High levels of sulfur are undesirable
as during combustion these are converted into volatile sulfur oxides, which
lead to increased engine wear. They also contribute directly to acid rain
and form solid sulphates, which add to the particulate matter in the exhaust
gas.

Ultra low sulfur
diesel is produced in much the same way as normal diesel but requires the
fuel to go through an extra series of processing steps which are typically
accomplished using a two-stage high severity hydro desulphurisation unit.
This unit comprises a cobalt-molybdenum catalyst in the first stage and nickel
molybdenum catalyst in the second stage. Hydrogenation of diesel over the
Co-Mo catalyst removes mostly sulfur associated with aliphatic hydrocarbons.
A more active Ni-Mo catalyst facilitates hydrogenation of aromatic sulfur
as well as saturation of aromatic hydrocarbons. This results in a higher cetane
number and affects the physical properties of the resulting product, changing
things like the cloud point and viscosity of the final diesel fuel product.

The sulfur level
of petroleum based diesel fuel that is used for on-road purposes is currently
limited to 0.05% by weight. This limit was mandated in 1993 as a method to
decrease particulate matter emitted from diesel powered vehicles. With the
introduction of mandated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) low-sulfur
diesel fuel, fleet operators began to encounter premature wear and/or failure
of injector pumps in increasing numbers. Pump manufacturers began recommending
the use of lubricity additives to alleviate the damage that the reduced sulfur
content of low sulfur diesel was causing to their injection pumps.

U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Federal Rule Nationwide. This rule specifies that, starting 6/1/06,
refiners must begin producing highway diesel fuel that meets a maximum sulfur
standard of 15 parts per million (ppm). This program includes a combination
of flexibilities available to refiners to ensure a smooth transition to ultra
low sulfur highway diesel fuel, including temporary compliance options, hardship
provisions and geographic phase-in areas. These provisions will allow refiners
to produce a small percentage of highway diesel fuel at existing 500-ppm maximum
sulfur content during a transitional period ending 6/09. Highway diesel fuel
marketed as complying with the 500-ppm sulfur standard must be segregated
from 15-ppm fuel in the distribution system, and may only be used in pre 2007
model year heavy-duty vehicles.

Texas Low Emission Diesel Fuel
Rule (TxLED or LED)

Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) State Rule Affects 110 counties in the Eastern
half of Texas.
This rule requires diesel fuel producers and importers to ensure that diesel
fuel distributed to the affected areas for ultimate sale to the consumer meets
the following specifications: less than 10% by volume of aromatic hydrocarbons
and a cetane number of 48 or greater. TxLED is required for both on road and
non road use. The compliance date was recently extended from 4/1/05 to 10/1/05,
including a compliance phase in schedule. The new phased in approach will
help ensure full compliance with the rule and an adequate fuel supply. Alternative
diesel fuel formulations that the producer has demonstrated to the satisfaction
of the executive director, through emissions and performance testing, as achieving
comparable or better reductions in emissions of oxides of nitrogen, volatile
organic compounds, and particulate matter may be used to satisfy the requirements.

Diesel cars are better than petrol cars with reference
to carbon dioxide, the global warming gas.

Diesel fuel has 20% more energy that gasoline
hence get better miles per gallon of fuel used.

Diesel engines operate at a higher compression
ration hence are able to operate more efficiently.

Diesel cars are better than petrol cars with reference
to carbon monoxide, a poison.

Diesel cars are better than petrol cars with reference
to hydrocarbons which cause cancer. (The benzene factor)

Diesel cars are similar to petrol cars with reference
to nitrous oxides, which cause smog.

Diesel cars are worse than petrol cars with reference
to particulates.

Diesel engines emit more PM10 particles, that
is particles which have a diameter up to 10 microns, but petrol cars actually
emit more PM1 particles than diesel ones. These particles are smaller than
1 micron and are invisible. They are also more likely to penetrate deeply
into human lungs (as they are smaller) and look less like a natural dust
particle, which human lungs have evolved to cope with.

Emissions
comparison: If you take a gasoline engine and a diesel engine with equal power
side-by-side and measure the emissions coming from the engine, you will find
that the gasoline engine will produce much more carbon monoxide and unburned
hydrocarbons, the diesel will produce more particulate matter. When the catalytic
converter is added to the gasoline engine, it greatly reduces the carbon monoxide,
unburned hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen which ensures that the gasoline
engine becomes very clean.

Most passenger
car emissions come from the first 20 seconds of operation when the catalytic
converter is warming up or from older cars that were built before strict emissions
controls. Modern gasoline-powered car engines, when they are running properly,
are actually very clean. If you are making your decision diesel vs gasoline
based only on tailpipe emissions, then the gasoline engine will win.

If this is the
case, you might ask why diesels are considered to be "the Green option"
in Europe? It is because they are looking
at more than tailpipe emissions and ozone. Another major source of emissions
from gasoline vehicles is from the evaporation of the gasoline during refueling,
from spills, and even while the engine is running.

These emissions
do not exist for diesel engines since the fuel is not volatile. VOC's (Volatile
Organic Compounds) are one of precursors of ground level ozone that we are
blighted with here in the Dallas
Ft. Worth area. Since ozone comes from reactions between oxides of nitrogen
and unburned hydrocarbons (VOC's), the gasoline vehicle can be a contributor
to ozone production even when its tailpipe is clean.

The Europeans
believe strongly in diesels because they are much more efficient that gasoline
cars and should get 30-50% better mileage with a diesel-powered vehicle than
with a gasoline-powered car. The mileage with biodiesel will be slightly less
than with diesel because of its lower energy content, but still much better
than gasoline. This means that you are emitting less carbon dioxide, contributing
less to global warming, and consuming fewer fossil resources. Add to this
the fact that the carbon in biodiesel originates from carbon dioxide in the
air instead of from petroleum and you have a major environmental advantage.

Most researchers
have concluded that when you look at the total environmental impact, that
diesels are a better choice than gasoline engines. The emissions from a biodiesel-fueled
diesel are less than a diesel fueled with conventional diesel fuel, so biodiesel
is the pack leader when it comes to an immediately implement-able ozone reduction
solution for the DFW Metroplex.

There is less
energy in a gallon of Biodiesel than there is in No.2 diesel fuel, 130,000
BTU's for diesel compared to 115,000 BTU's for Biodiesel. Offsetting the energy
difference is Biodiesel's elevated Cetane value, which enables the fuel to
burn hotter and therefore more completely, which results in a similar power
level being converted by the engine. Blending biodiesel with petro based diesel
fuel tends to mitigate the effect of the lower calorific value of biodiesel
while the user still gains many of the benefits accrued from using biodiesel
in a win win blend.

Manufacturers warrant their products against defects
in materials and workmanship.

In general use of a particular fuel should have
no effect on the materials and workmanship warranty.

Use of biodiesel does not “void the warranty”,
this is prohibited by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.

Manufacturers are concerned that extensive use
of biodiesel will result in increased numbers of warranty claims for what
are actually problems caused by the fuel.

Position
Statements from various manufacturers

Concerns about
fuel quality and stability are what is preventing approval of blending levels
above 5% for most manufacturers. While manufacturers do not warrant fuel,
many have position statements and recommendations on biodiesel:

YANMAR DIESEL
AMERICA CORP - Up to 5% Biodiesel: "Yanmar Diesel America, Corp.
encourages the development of renewable compression ignition fuels. Experience
to date with Bio-Diesel fuel blends with Mineral Oil derived fuel, up to 5%
volume RME or SOME blend, which comply with the existing quality standards,
should not give the end users any serious problems. Even if these fuels comply
with a suitable standard as delivered, the enhanced care and attention is
required to maintain the fuels in equipment, vehicle and or other tanks, may
entail a high risk of non-compliance to the standard during use. Yanmar Diesel
America, Corp. can accept no legal liability for failure attributable to the
operation with fuels for which the products were not designed, and no warranties
or representations are made to the possible effects of running these products
with such fuels. Non-compliance of the fuels to standards agreed by the engine
manufacturers and FIE manufacturers, whether being evident by appearance of
the known degradation products of these fuels, or their known effects within
the fuel injection equipment and engine, and will render the Yanmar Engine
warranty null and void."

There are a
number of clean air solutions available to the fleet operator today and biodiesel
is the most cost effective of those available today. There are typically a
number of costs associated with implementing each solution, some of those
costs require capital expenditure like CNG which needs special vehicles and
fueling infrastructure. In addition to those capital expenditures, there are
typically additional operating costs associated with each of these solutions
like Liquid Natural Gas which is more expensive per mile than diesel fuel.

The consultants,
Booz, Allen, Hamilton did an analysis in 2002 to compare both the capital
costs and incremental operational costs associated with implementing each
of the clean air solutions available on the market. The graph below shows
a comparison between the various options and shows what proportion of those
costs are attributable to capital expenditures (Red) and what are attributable
to increased operating costs (Blue) on a typical medium duty truck fleet.

About 46% of each barrel of
crude oil is refined into automobile gasoline.

In the US and Canada an average of 3 gallons
of crude oil are consumed per person each day

The US uses
66 billion gallons of diesel and 120 billion gallons of
gasoline per year.

The amount of fuel consumed
in family vehicles in the United States each year is
enough to cover a regulation-size football field to a depth
of approximately 40 miles.

The 186 Billion gallons of
fuel we use every year in the US is equal to an area of
1,545 square miles, 3 inches deep. This means that we flood
the equivalent of Rhode
Island's entire 1,545 square miles
with petroleum 3" deep and set the whole state on on
fire every year. This has got to have a major impact on
our environment.

The homebrew
biodiesel recipe as we know it in the USA was devised by Dr Thomas Reed at Colorado School of Mines around
1989. He introduced his "MCDIESEL" to a guy by the name of Agua
Das who got enthused about the political implications of do-it-yourself, community
controlled fuel.

Agua Das knew
of an independent filmmaker Nicole Cusino and told her and her team about
this technology. In 1994 the women filmmakers took a trip across the country
in a GMC diesel van, making biodiesel along the way and created a documentary
film about the process. This cross country trip raised questions about energy,
about the mainstream future and sustainability of biodiesel and visited various
biodiesel pioneers.

The result is
the film Fat of the Land www.lardcar.com which is really quite a must-see
for anyone interested in the subject and features some early experimenters
in the film. The film interviews Agua Das and Dr Reed, hinting at things like
biodiesel co-ops and local, community scale, distributed production, things
that are starting to materialize as part of the biodiesel movement 10 years
later. Order the film and /or contact Nicole Cousino, the filmmaker at: sewerlab@yahoo.com

Testing at labs
such as Southwest Research Institute, Standyne Automotive and Engineering
Testing Services have demonstrated that biodiesel provides significant lubricity
improvement over petroleum diesel fuel. Lubricity results of biodiesel and
petroleum diesel using the High Frequency Reciprocating Rig test indicate
that there is a marked improvement in lubricity when biodiesel is added to
conventional diesel fuel, even at blend levels below 1%.

Biodiesel is
going to become even more important in the nations fuel mix as the US moves towards
using Ultra Low Sulfur diesel fuel. In France, biodiesel in small amounts
is mandated in every gallon of diesel fuel sold and helps that country use
Ultra Low Sulfur diesel through out its fueling infrastructure.

Diesel fuel
contamination problems have two different areas to consider, biology and chemistry.
On the biology side are "Fuel Bugs" and on the chemistry side are
"Asphaltenes".

"Asphaltenes"
more commonly seen as diesel sludge is the most common chemical problem and
the most misdiagnosed problem in diesel fuel. Asphaltenes are brown and slimy
and resemble algae, but no aglge grows in petrolium based diese fuel. The
natural chemical process that goes on in diesel fuel as it ages creates Asphaltenes.
The asphaltene molecules will tend to precipitate out of the fuel over time
and settle on the bottom of the tank. Once picked up by the fuel pump filters
clog and engines stop.

"Fuel Bugs"
or bacteria and fungus, primarily Cyanobacteria, in diesel fuel are the other
problem but less prominent that Asphaltenes. There are over 100 types of Fuel
Bugs that can live in diesel fuel. Fuel Bugs feed on the oil in the fuel and
use the water in the fuel for their oxygen supply. They grow in your fuel
at different rates and can easily cost thousands of dollars in damage to each
contaminated vehicle, some bugs can replicate in as little as 4 hours.

The life expectancy
of stored diesel fuel is limited. Depending on the amount of contaminates,
sooner or later stored diesel fuel will deteriorate. Of the many contributing
causes there are three main factors responsible for the deterioration of stored
diesel oil/fuel. These factors include: oxidation, microorganism growth and
corrosion.

In the case
of oxidation, oxygen reacts with the hydrocarbon molecules in the fuel. Oxidation
causes discoloration, formation of particulate, water and gum. Oxygen is introduced
to stored diesel fuel through tank ventilation, refueling and can even be
entrapped during the refining process.

In the case
of microorganism growth, bacteria and fungi will gather at the fuel water
interface in the storage tank. They consume the diesel fuel and produce acid
and water as a bi-product. Again, air is a contributing source for these contaminates.
Emulsified water in the diesel fuel will accelerate this process.

Corrosion is
caused by microbial growth, water and voltage potential through storage tank
walls. Corrosion destroys storage tank walls and releases metals back into
the stored fuel. This action will accelerate the oxidation reaction.

Conducted studies
have confirmed the effects of some of the factors discussed above. University of Idaho scientists have conducted tests to
determine the timeline and percentage of degradation of stored diesel fuel
#2. The results of this testing was that the petroleum diesel fuel #2 degraded
26% after 28 days of storage.

Nitrogen compounds
will effect the storage stability of hydrocarbon fuels in a variety of ways
depending on the type and concentration of the nitrogen compound, the chemical
make up of the fuel, presence of other trace materials and storage conditions.
Studies conducted by Frankenfeld et.al. under accelerated storage conditions
have proved that sediments are formed. The formation of these sediments are
even more in the presence of water and dissolved oxygen.